UNC's Matson calls for change at USA Field Hockey, won't tryout for Paris Games

By Brian Murphy, WRAL

University of North Carolina field hockey coach Erin Matson, one of the most decorated players, will not be a member of the U.S. Olympic team for the Summer Games in Paris.

Matson said USA Field Hockey denied her an opportunity to try out for the 18-member team this weekend in Charlotte.

"Although it leaves me with a heavy heart, I have moved forward," Matson said in a statement Thursday night.

Matson, 24, has represented the nation in various events since she was 13. She said in February she requested a tryout for the team in Paris.

Matson, a four-time national champion and five-time ACC player of the year, led the Tar Heels to the national championship in her first season as head coach in 2023.

"At this moment, USA Field Hockey declines to comment further," a spokeswoman for USA Field Hockey told WRAL in an email earlier on Thursday. "The U.S. Women’s National Team high performance staff have previously asked Erin to meet in Charlotte and are awaiting a response."

Matson said she would not meet this weekend, claiming the meeting was about the 2026 World Cup and the 2028 Summer Games in Los Angeles.

"As they did not want to discuss the Paris Games, I felt it unfair to take time and attention away from a group in Charlotte that would be training and focusing on 2024," Matson said. "There is plenty of time after the Paris Games to talk about my involvement in 2026 and 2028, and I look forward to having that discussion."

Matson played for the gold-medal winning indoor U.S. team in Pan-Am Games last month.

"I believe change in USA Field Hockey is necessary," Matson said. "We should be focused on naming the strongest possible roster in order to be successful on the world stage. I love this game."

The chairman of the UNC Board of Trustees released a statement earlier Thursday supporting Matson.

"Why is US Field Hockey denying the greatest American player in history a chance to compete for a spot on the Olympic team?" John Preyer wrote.

"Erin meets all the criteria and is willing, able, and ready to be in Charlotte on Sunday with the full support of her colleagues and team at Carolina. We trust US Field Hockey will reconsider their earlier statements and give Erin the opportunity to compete.”

Players have been training and competing since last summer to qualify for the Games and earn a spot on the roster.

When she took over as UNC's head coach, Matson made the decision not to play for Team USA. Matson has scored 28 goals in 79 outdoor matches for the senior team.

"At this point in time, Carolina is where my energy needs to go; it's where I want it to go. I think it deserves my all of my attention and energy," she told Olympics.com about her choice. "I came to the decision that if I wanted to be the best coach – and the team deserves that – it was just a decision that had to be made."

The site billed it as a retirement, though Matson did not rule out the possibility of playing once again.

"The door (to playing for Team USA) is not closed, but it's not open," Matson told Olympics.com in November. "If the stars align and there's a possibility, you know, to do it someday and represent my country again then my athletic director, he knows if we can make it work and if it's the right timing with the right people, with the right resources, you know, then let's do it."

Matson said she would "be cheering for the women I grew up playing with and for Team USA, who continue to make us all proud."